2017-11-10

Ch. 54 – Compassion for Animals Road Expedition #1

Between 2003 and 2010, I conducted seven Compassion for Animals Road Expeditions (CARE-tours – CARE-1 thru CARE-7), each covering 30-45 states in 5-8 months, all solo except for CARE-1. On April 2, 2017, Shannon Wright and I wedded at Lake Tahoe, immediately after which we launched our Honeymoon of HOPE, which amounted to CARE-8.

I will not detail every one of these long tours, or this book would look like an encyclopedia. CARE-1 will give you a very good idea as to how such marathons were organized and executed by the principal (me), and supported by dozens if not hundreds of activists, and attended by thousands, from coast to coast. To give you some idea of the scope of these tours, here is one of the route maps:

“Start the motor running.
Head out on the highway.
Looking for adventure,
or whatever comes my way.
I’m gonna just let it happen,
hold the Earth in a love embrace…”

“Born to be wild” may have something to do with it, or the lore of Americana and the lure of Route 66, but in the period of 2003-2010, some force propelled me on to not one, not two, but seven CARE-tours. Not even my parents could hold me back.

Just my mother really, since my father passed away in 2000 at the age of 87 – nothing traumatic, no serious ailment, no terminal disease; he just ran out of gas. My father dying was in fact my mother’s greatest fear come true. She once said, in the 80s or 90s, that between the two of them, she would prefer to be the one to go first. She feared loneliness more than death. To her credit, when my dad did die, she did not exhibit any heart-wrenching behavior of loneliness and despondency. It looked as if, after all those tumultuous decades of their lives together, a little of my father’s stoicism had rubbed off on her. Or was it that my father’s long decline in his last two or three years had tuned her to his oncoming departure, and eased her into his virtual absence, even before he had physically departed.

Before my father’s passing, my mother had three dear ones with her in Vancouver – my father, my brother Matthew and me. Partly since Matthew had a family and I was single, I spent more time with our mother than he did. So, as of the summer of 2000, I became the closest person to her in her life. I regularly visited her three times a week and took her out dining at least once a week. This would have served us well in the long run, except for one big thing – my CARE tours, which put me on the road every year from 2003 through 2010 for months at a time, when, even though I called her every day by phone, the only person in Vancouver she could call upon would be Matthew. So, every year, I went through the emotional agony of preparing to part with her, then parting with her. On her part, being the most considerate personal I knew, she proactively defused much of the agony as of 2004. Without me asking, she said to me, plainly and without drama, “I know you have great plans, for yourself, for animals and for the world. I know you care for me even when you’re gone. Go with my blessing, and come back more accomplished than before.”

For most people, to leave home for months at a time, whether on business or for war, is a huge personal deal. To even think about it is intimidating. To plan and organize a CARE-tour, involving key campaigners in every state, hundreds of leading activists from coast to coast, eventually thousands of participants by tour’s end, would take months for a team. I often just did it myself, with some help from friends, colleagues and volunteers. This said, I cannot deny the fun and excitement involved when planning a tour, especially CARE-1, when everything was virginal, experimental and new.

Since my Hong Kong days, I had wanted to see the world. Since my bush-whacking days, I had wanted to see diverse wilderness in the national parks across the land. Since my African days, I had wanted explore North America likewise. Since my 1996 anti-hunting road tour throughout British Columbia, now I wanted to tour the entire continent by road, to drive every highway, to do a loop covering over 40 states out of the Lower 48, plus a few Canadian provinces.

In 2001, I sat down at my drawing board to begin making my dream come true. On a map of North America I charted my course, which, when finalized, became Plan A of CARE-1.

It was essentially a counter-clockwise loop around the US, traversing 41 states in 7 months, spanning January and August, 2003, beginning and ending at Vancouver. Counter-clockwise because of the time of the year. In January, the northern inland states would be frozen solid, and the highways treacherous, and the New England states would likely be snow-buried. So, going south first would be the way to go, whereas, if the tour were to cover, say, April to November, then doing the north and east first, then the south and coastal west in the fall would offer the best driving conditions overall.

At this time, I was fortunate enough to come across Dr. Steve Kaufman of Cleveland, Ohio, who generously donated to the CARE-1 project including a 21’ RV, a 9’ trailer, a big-screen TV, a cell phone, and seven months’ worth of operational expenses. In early 2003, his Vegetarian Advocate Press also published my book [OMNI-SCIENCE and the Human Destiny], right on time for me to take on the road, making CARE-1 also a book tour.

I started my networking by first compiling a list of groups by state. The database I used was the World Animal Net (www.WorldAnimalNet.org). The communication was by email and phone, it being still before the Facebook era. The organizational effort took up much of 2002 and could engage a small team, but I started it myself, and later was joined by bestselling vegan author Brenda Davis (Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan) and her then 14 year old son Cory Davis, with the blessing Brenda’s husband Paul.

Right off the bat, the tour hit a road-block, literally – at US customs on the Canadian/US border. Since Brenda and I weren’t tourists, but authors and professional speakers, and since our tour was not exactly a pleasure cruise, we needed extra documentation, which we did not have, and which would take several months to process. With a few well directed expletives to help us along, we pulled the rig back into Canada and rescheduled the tour to start in August instead, and changed Plan A to Plan B – i.e. from a counter-clockwise loop to a clockwise loop.

The rig of CARE-1 in Badlands NP in S. Dakota, 2003

So, came August, we struck out boldly due east from the West Coast. It was a terrific start, since the weather was glorious, and first places we passed were spectacular – the Cascades, Selkirks and Rockies mountain ranges, with forests and deserts in between, then the great national parks – Glacier, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Badlands…

With Cory Davis and Brenda Davis in Yellowstone NP 2003.

Brenda and Cory were both shining examples of perfect vegan health. Their home was a house several hundred feet up the flank of Lake Okanagan of Ogopogo (lake monster) fame. Every morning, Brenda would run down the steep path to the lake, then back up again non-stop, without breaking a sweat. Cory, at 14, was already a six-footer, looking like a young Ben Affleck, or better. I had turned vegan in 1999, and was in pretty good shape myself, especially at my then age of 59. I would celebrate my 60th birthday while on this tour, in Denver, according to our Plan-B schedule.

Cory and I got along great. I taught him to play chess, and he beat me more than once. Brenda engaged her friend Amy to do the scheduling for her, and she was kept busy from city to city. I did my own booking, and was about as busy as Brenda. Often, we had joint presentations at the same venue. I did almost all the driving.

Shortly before Christmas, we arrived at the water-front property in Kill Devil Hill on the Outer Banks, North Carolina, of our good friend Jerry Cook. After a few days’ much needed relaxation, Brenda and Cory flew back to Kelowna for Christmas. I could have flown back to Vancouver to be with my mom, but I was doing this project without pay, and the fare was steep. So I just hung around with Jerry, who was as mellow a host as I could wish for.

The following excerpts will give you some feel for the tour.

2002

Kamloops Daily News

ANIMAL RIGHTS VAN OFFERS GRAPGIC VIDEOS

Images of calves forced into veal pens, chicks having their beaks cut off, a cow hanging alive by one hind leg with its throat being slit — what you won’t see on mainstream media, were all on show for passers-by to view as an animal rights van came through Kamloops earlier this week.

Anthony Marr, a spokesman for Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE), said he set up Tuesday night at Victoria Street and Third Avenue, showing graphic videos of factory farming, grizzly bear hunting and fur trapping on a 54-inch television.

The TV is housed in a trailer behind the recreational vehicle that will be home to Marr and Kelowna dietitian Brenda Davis, along with her 14-year-old son Cory, when they tour 40 U.S. states and four Canadian Provinces between January and June next year.

“Factory farming hits home more because most people eat meat. They tend not to want to look at it. It is emotional and forces introspection for those who love animals and believe in compassion for all sentient beings.”

An opponent of the B.C. grizzly hunt for years, Marr said the factory farm footage affected him personally when he saw it. “I used to eat meat until I saw similar footage some years back.”

* * *

2003-01
Vegan Outreach

CARE Tour Refused Entry into U.S. – For Now

“It has been almost a week since the Compassion for Animals Road Expedition (CARE) first attempted to cross the Canadian/U.S. border, in vain. We were told that we did not have the necessary documents to enter the United States for any kind of public speaking, or to do any kind of work, paid or unpaid. We were further warned that if we tried to re-enter the U.S. under any false pretense, we would be barred from entry of any kind for 5 years.

“We did not make this announcement any earlier, except to our CARE participants and supporters in Washington, Oregon and California – the first three states in CARE’s 40-state itinerary – because we wanted to try other avenues and border crossings, which had become our full time occupation over the last six days. We (Brenda Davis, her son Cory and I) loaded and unloaded the CARE-a-van twice, visited the U.S. Consulate twice, consulted two immigration attorneys, were refused at two border crossings on three occasions, spoke with our U.S. sponsor by phone numerous times… To make a long story short, we have come to the conclusion that our best and perhaps only option is to postpone starting the tour until the summer.

“Without a doubt, this is a blow and a setback…. But though the CARE tour has been stalled, animal sufferings and species endangerment continue unabated, and we must move forward. The wheels are already in motion in redesigning the CARE tour route. We have our sight set on departing from Vancouver in August, and on returning to Vancouver in April, with a month-long break around Christmas….”

We’ve all asked at some point – Wouldn’t it be powerful for all groups of like mind to collectively wage a single coordinated campaign, from coast to coast, against a single adversary? Thus was born the concept of the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition.

In the seven months between August 29, 2003, and April 2, 2004, wildlife preservationist and anti-hunting campaigner Anthony Marr, with best-selling local vegan author Brenda Davis and her son Cory Davis, will be conducting the Compassion for Animals Road Expedition (CARE) through 40 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. One of CARE’s main objectives is to form the American chapter of the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition. Anthony Marr will be holding meetings with the directors and giving presentations to the members of interested animal advocacy groups en route to discuss participation, campaigns, strategy and tactics.

The first campaign of the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition will be to apply external pressure on Canada focusing on its:

East Coast Commercial Harp Seal Hunt (current quota – 325,000/year – the largest marine mammal hunt in the world, known as “Canada’s Shame”. The HSUS has already taken boycott action against Canada on this issue, but the more groups, the better).

Western Canada Grizzly Bear Trophy Hunt (current quota ~300/year plus poaching deaths of ~300 out of a hotly debated estimated population of 4,000-13,000).

West Coast Commercial Harbour Seal Hunt (currently being tabled in parliament – quota: an incredible 50,000/year out of a total estimated population of only 110,000 – his must be nipped in the bud!).

West Coast Grey Whale Hunt (currently being planned. This too must be nipped in the bud).

I want to make people aware of this tour. They will be traveling to many cities in Canada and the US. Starting in September they will be on the road for 7 months.

If you live in one of the cities on the tour, this is your chance to see: Anthony Marr (wildlife preservationist), Brenda Davis, (co-author of “Becoming Vegan”) and Cory Davis (Brenda’s 14 year-old son ).

They need help with:
1. a warm bed and hot vegan food in cold weather;
2. help with speaking opportunities and engagements;
3. help with organizing local events;
4. help with continental networking and local media;
5. help with database building (e.g. school email lists);
6. financial support;
7. wish them luck.

I wonder if anyone here is involved with this tour or plans to go to any of the events.

Thanks!

* * *

Animal Awareness – Fells Point, Baltimore, MD
October 2003

Animal Awareness supported the Compassion for Animals Road Expedition (CARE) Video Truck tour as they came through the Baltimore area. The issue covered was factory farming. CARE employs a CARE-a-van, comprising a 21′ RV that serves as the mobile command center towing a 9’ trailer equipped with 54″ Raw-Truth-TV….

Anthony Marr, author of [OMNI-SCIENCE and Human Destiny] is coming through our area on or around April 15th. I think we should try to host him. As you know, I’ve encountered some difficulties getting the affiliation we need to reserve space, but either late this quarter or early next quarter we should have some affiliate.

Marr seems to be a humanistic pro-science speaker. I’m definitely going to pull for a big Transhumanist speaker to come, and DJ of CFA has made it known that he will happily provide a Freethought speaker, all expenses paid. All this needs is a little planning and coordination, and I’m up for that. Debates are a whole different ball game and I think we should hold off on having any until next year.

All the best,
Ben

Milwaukee atheist group, 2003

The Campus Freethought Alliance and the Council for Secular Humanism

The Campus Freethought Alliance and the Council for Secular Humanism (both headquartered at the Center for Inquiry) are pleased to announce that from April 15, 2004, Anthony Marr – internationally recognized tiger preservationist, leading animal advocate, critically acclaimed scientific philosopher and author of [OMNI-SCIENCE and Human Destiny] (2003) – will be lecturing through 41 states and four Canadian provinces at over 100 universities and numerous off-campus venues on his ground-breaking presentation, a talk in which he explains his ethical and naturalistic scientific life-stance. When he arrives in your city, he would be delighted to address an audience assembled by your group.

If you are interested in having Anthony speak to your group, please contact him at…

Anthony will be traveling as part of the Compassion for Animals Road Expedition (CARE Tour), which also includes Brenda Davis, Registered Dietitian. Brenda is author of 5 books on vegetarianism and veganism including “Becoming Vegetarian” and “Becoming Vegan”, is a former chair of the Vegetarian Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association, as well as an internationally acclaimed speaker. Brenda will be giving talks on this tour and her son will be giving cooking demos.

To view Anthony Marr’s itinerary, his book, critiques of his previous lecture tour, as well as his breath-taking Tigers Forever slideshow resulting from three deep-rural-India expeditions, please see www.all-creatures.org/hope

To the Australian who inquired about the PMU thing, just wanted to add a bit to that. I didn’t have time when you first asked about it to write much, and thus just posted a reference to an article that could explain what PMU meant. I’d like to take the time now to mention what I have seen of the PMU situation first hand.

I have not been to the PMU farms personally, so I can’t comment on that from my own experience. What I can say is that we have two PMU rescue horses in my barn, one is a Belgian/QH cross who is five, and one who is a registered QH with supposedly good bloodlines — an example of the efforts that are said to be being made to produce saleable horses that will not end up as meat. This filly is now two. She belongs to a girl who is a student of mine, and this girl bought her at an auction in Alberta, where most of the bidders were meat buyers. I was not there, so again, I cannot speak from having seen it firsthand, but what she told me was truly heartbreaking: dozens upon dozens of little babies, way too young to be weaned — sick, scared and many showing obvious injuries — some severe… Most of the… horses at the auction were purchased by the meat guys for peanuts. My student is still haunted by the ones she couldn’t save… It is common for babies to get injured in such transports, and not at all uncommon for them to die…

The Belgian cross at our barn is a really sweet guy… Of course, these are only two horses, but I also did some work with Anthony Marr, a Canadian animal rights activist who has received international acclaim for his work in Asia, and for his efforts to save the wild tigers (a documentary about him was made for the “Champions of the Wild” series). Anyway, Anthony has spent several years researching the PMU industry, travelling to the farms, talking to the manufacturers of Premarin, and launching a large-scale, international campaign that has now started to see some results. What he had to say about what he had seen did not paint a pretty picture. I participated in a parade to raise awareness about the issue last year with Anthony, and there were quite a few PMU rescue horses in the group. They all seemed to have similar stories to tell…

* * *

Posted by Susan Kaufman on October 28, 2003 at 15:53:59:
In Reply to: Thanks for the explanation – posted by LJB on October 28, 2003 at 14:43:10

Yes, there are synthetic versions, and plant-derived versions, from what I’ve been told. My own doctor said most women tolerate these Premarin alternatives extremely well. I think the recent news about hormone replacement therapy for post-menopausal women being unhealthy in the first place will go a long way towards toppling the Premarin empire.

If you are interested, here’s a link about the parade we had last fall that Anthony Marr organized. Shortly after this, he went on a huge tour to raise awareness about the Premarin issue. I haven’t talked to him since then (don’t even know if he’s back in Vancouver), but he’s a really interesting guy and dedicates his whole life to saving animals. I first became aware of him through his Save the Tigers campaign, and for the efforts he has made towards stopping the use of endangered animal parts in traditional Chinese medicine. Because he is Asian himself, he has been able to work on that issue without being labeled a racist. Lucky for us, he also happens to be a skilled equestrian with a deep love for horses, so having him take up the Premarin battle was a great thing.

Just sprained my ankle in the snow, no big deal. Posting this for sympathy. 😉

Tilman Fertitta would like to add a white-tiger exhibit to his downtown aquarium.

Aquarium owner Tilman Fertitta says the tigers will be a first-class attraction for his restaurant and the downtown area in general. But not everyone agrees it’s so humane.

In a restaurant already filled with exotic ocean animals, Fertitta is hoping to go a step further with the addition of five white tigers. They’re the same kind of animals that attract hordes of tourists in Las Vegas.

“I think it would bring a lot of excitement,” said Jim Prappas, Aquarium Restaurant.

Those at the aquarium say the animals would make their restaurant, and therefore downtown Houston, a more attractive destination for tourists and conventions, as well as Houstonians.

But don’t try telling that to Tiger Preservationist Anthony Marr.

“To keep five tigers in a small space for entertainment is not acceptable,” he said.

Marr has led three tiger-saving expeditions in rural India and championed the rights of dwindling species. He has one more reason to oppose the idea of bringing white tigers to the Aquarium, mainly because of the way they’re bred.

Because white-tigers are such a genetic rarity, animal traders often inbreed them with family members to increase the likelihood of a baby white tiger.

“Inbred to the point where it causes genetic defects,” said Marr.

Meanwhile, Aquarium officials respond by saying humane treatment is their first and foremost priority, along with raising awareness of the plight of endangered animals among those who go to their restaurants.

“Education is what we’re all about, teaching people about conservation, so hopefully we can implement this exhibit,” said Prappas.

But the Aquarium could face opponents with far more authority in Houston than a Canadian animal conservationist. Some city officials argue that tigers in the downtown area violates a number of city ordinances.

Marr will voice his concerns to the Houston City Council at their meeting on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Fertitta hopes to have the white tigers on view at his restaurant by the time the Major League All-Star Game arrives in July.

Houston City Council transcript
2004-02-17

… Council Member Alvarado stated that she understood the white tigers were not in the wild and in fact were bred; and Ms. Blue stated that it was just horrible, but Mr. Marr was a tiger preservationist and could answer questions even better than she.

Mr. Cory Davis, of Kelowna, British Columbia, appeared and stated that he was from Canada, traveling the United States and Mr. Fertitta’s restaurant was very nice but tigers were endangered and the white tigers he wanted to purchase were being bred for his use; that there were only about 3,500 tigers left and it was because of the same point of view that they were objects; that he heard the gentleman say he was doing this for conservation of tigers, but it would do nothing for conservation because people would only think of them as objects.

Mr. Anthony Marr, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, appeared and stated that he was an international tiger preservationist specializing in the Bengal tiger; that Mr. Fertitta’s plan to install white tigers did not come down as tiger conservation for several reasons; that white tigers were of no conservation value whatsoever; that he had never seen one in a natural habitat and it was because it was poorly camouflaged and could not catch prey, to him the only reason to keep a tiger in captivity would be to try and protect its gene pool and keep them from becoming extinct, but white tigers were without that value; that breeding of white tigers was also very unethical as the white fur gene was recessive and for them to have white pups you had to inbreed and sometimes as closely as parent to offspring and among siblings and because of the deliberate inbreeding they were full of genetic defects and deformities in the body, and often of unpredictable behavior; that the bred tigers which were not bought to be caged would be sold for canned hunting and shot point blank; that the entire business was onerous and carried no ethical or conservation merit.

Upon questions by Council Member Alvarado, Mr. Marr stated that up to this point no tiger had so far been proven capable of being rehabilitated back into the wild.

Council Member Sekula-Gibbs stated that some thought the white tiger was beautiful and they bred them for their rarity and beauty and it would bring people to come and see; that in the natural state they could not survive but it was giving a life it would not normally have.

Council Member Quan moved that the rules be suspended for the purpose of continuing discussion by Council relating to tigers, seconded by Council Member Sekula-Gibbs. All voting aye. Nays none. MOTION 2004-0177 ADOPTED

Upon questions by Council Member Goldberg, Mr. Marr stated that some zoos came in a wide range with some having wide motes in place of bars, and open spaces and so there were good and bad zoos; that in general he opposed human beings deriving pleasure from the suffering of animals.

Upon questions by Council Member Quan, Mr. Marr stated that even releasing the yellow tiger into the wild had not been successful because they did not know how to hunt, raise babies or deal with local tigers… Council Member Quan moved that the rules be suspended for the purpose of continuing discussion by Council relating to tigers, seconded by Council Member Edwards. All voting aye. Nays none. MOTION 2004-0178 ADOPTED

Upon questions by Council Member Edwards, Mr. Marr stated that white tigers were purposely bred to be white; that if you naturally bred 100 tigers none would be white the percentage was so low and then when one was born he could be raised until about 2-1/2 when they would then have to leave and would die; that he had never seen a white tiger in the wild in all his years and it was a fair statement to say if you saw a white tiger it was bred to be so.

Council Member Berry encouraged Mr. Marr to visit the Houston Zoo; and upon questions, Mr. Marr stated that his primary reason for being present today was that he was opposed to any captivity of animals, except under desperate conservation circumstances.

Mr. James Prappas, 410 Bagby, Houston, Texas 77002 (713-515-9395) appeared and stated that he was director of animal operations at Landry’s Restaurants, Inc. with 23 years in animal care, conservation and research and he was aware of Mr. Marr’s work and it was significant; that Landry’s was dedicated to providing the best environment for their animals and all their staff was involved in conservation efforts; that AZA recognized Landry’s as a professional well run organization and knew they could give animals the best possible care and maintenance and they did participate in AZA’s goals.

Over 25 years, internationally renowned wildlife preservationist and scientific philosopher Anthony Marr has developed a new model of the Universe called Omniscientific Cosmology, which embraces all of the physical, biological, and social sciences, and shows the optimal human destiny. Marr demonstrates striking and consistent parallels in different levels of organization in Earth’s biosphere, from molecules to cells to multicellular organisms to animal societies to nations, which can be used to extrapolate on to the interplanetary realm and beyond. Marr’s original and unique synthesis shows how the components of each level undergo a four-quadrant “O.S.E.S. Cycle” of the “I.T. Spiral” to advance to the next level. Such understanding is critical at this juncture of world history, because population saturation, international conflict, resource depletion and potential nuclear holocaust threaten to reverse the multi-billion-year, multi-level process of “Integrative Transcendence”, from nations back down to simple multicellular organisms or even unicellular organisms. Either our nations will collectively organize into a harmonious “planetary organism”, or global disaster seems inevitable.

“Compassion for Animals Road Expedition” Comes to Colorado
2004-02-29

Brenda Davis, Anthony Marr to speak at Veg Forum on Feb. 29

Brenda Davis is one of just a handful of the top vegetarian / vegan nutritionists in North America. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear her speak! Come to the Veg Forum in Denver on Sunday afternoon, February 29, where she will be speaking with Anthony Marr, Champion of the Bengal Tiger and leader of the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition! This event is co-sponsored by Rocky Mountain Animal Defense…

Brenda is a past chair of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a group of professionals in the American Dietetic Association. She’s co-authored numerous books, including “Becoming Vegetarian,” “Becoming Vegan,” and “Defeating Diabetes.” (Her co-author on the first two books, Vesanto Melina, visited us in 2001 and spoke to the VSC then.) She’s one of just a handful of top experts in North America on vegan and vegetarian nutrition — she’s not to be missed!

Anthony Marr is the originator of this tour. He is a world known tiger preservationist, a tireless animal advocate, and a dynamic speaker, not to mention an acclaimed scientific philosopher! He is promoting the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition. He often debates hunters on radio and TV.

Cory Davis is Brenda’s 15-year-old son. He is a gourmet vegan cook and a devoted animal advocate, with a keen interest in defending food animals. During this tour he will be operating the 54″ Raw Truth TV, which will be showing videos in public places along the lines of the sort of showings in “The Witness.”…

ACT Radio
2004-03-14
Animal Concerns of Texas
El Paso, TX
ACT Radio

Be sure to listen to ACT, Animal Concerns of Texas with cohosts Greg Lawson and Steve Best tonight, March 14, at 7:30pm Mountain time. We will be talking with Anthony Marr of CARE, Compassion for Animals Road Expedition, which is touring the country with their message of animal rights and vegan nutrition. We will focus on the threat to the tigers and bears of the world from Chinese medicine.

* * *

March 18, 2004
The Santa Barbara Independent

Who CAREs?

The current state of animal rights awareness in Santa Barbara is embarrassingly low. As a six-year vegetarian I am pleased that most Santa Barbara restaurants are veggie-friendly, but disappointed that we do not have a completely vegetarian restaurant in the area.

I am aware of the difficulty in uniting vegetarians with animal rights activists. It is not a surprise that groups who center around one issue are difficult to unite for common campaigns or even just a vegetarian potluck.

You can understand my enthusiasm around two local groups that are hoping to change this cycle of separation. The newly formed Santa Barbara Vegetarian Society and the Santa Barbara Animal Advocates are working together to host the Compassion for Animals Road Expedition (CARE) on its trip to Santa Barbara. CARE has brought national attention to issues concerning nutrition, vegetarianism, veganism, animal abuse, hunting, rodeos, and factory farming. The two main speakers for this event include Anthony Marr and Brenda Davis. Marr’s main goal is to unite animal advocates across the county to develop concerted action… Brenda Davis is a registered dietitian and author of The New Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan.

Through this event we are hoping to form a coalition of S.B.’s isolated organizations so that we are better prepared, motivated, and funded to fight local animal abuses and bring awareness to a healthier lifestyle through vegetarianism. Santa Barbara County has a proud history of supporting the environment. It seems logical that we place as much effort on maintaining that environment through sustainable agriculture and animal welfare. The CARE tour will be in Santa Barbara on Thursday, March 18 from 6-9 p.m. at the Faulkner Gallery in the S.B. Public Library.